During recent years the construction of swimming pools has altered dramatically. Years ago, it was recognized that gutters around the upper edge of pools would dispose of overflow water, as well as skimming off with the overflow water most of the contaminants in the pool such as bacteria, oils and debris. In the early days such gutters were formed or cast of concrete which became a permanent, integral portion of the upper side walls of the pool. As such, the gutters had to be torn apart to gain access to the drainage portion which obviously leads to expensive and time consuming maintenance procedures.
In more recent years, gutters have been prefabricated from other materials such as steel or plastics. These gutters are attached to the upper edge of the concrete portion of the wall of the pool, and can be removed and replaced without destruction of the gutter or damage to the side wall. Such gutters provide not only for the skimming of the pool overflow but also, in some cases, provide for the introduction of fresh water into the pool.
With such gutters it is commonplace to provide a slotted or perforated cover for several purposes. First of all the gutter cover keeps larger debris such as sticks and leaves out of the drainage system and out of the gutter proper. Also the gutter covers provide a safety feature in that bathers can step into and out of the pool by way of the gutter covers, rather than having to avoid the treacherous gutter trough which is recessed below the pool deck and upper lip of the gutter. As such, the gutter trough provides a dangerous safety hazard unless the cover is provided. Covers known to the applicant fall within one of two types. Either they are secured by hardware to the upper edge of the gutters, so that where the gutter cover must be removed, the operation is time consuming and often requires special tools. See U.S. patents to Molitor U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,566; Hough U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,527; and Laven U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,272. The other type of gutter cover is merely a flat member which lies on a pair of spaced ledges, and is easily dislodged or removed by vandals. See U.S. patent to Whitten, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,167.